Friday, September 12, 2014

Lightened Up Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. Try this recipe using low calorie popcorn with better ingredients. #SkinnyGirlSnacks #CollectiveBias

We are big popcorn fans over here. Fast. Easy. Healthy. Tasty. Low-calorie. Those are all my snacking requirements, and then some. And although we have been known to down entire microwave bags of it in mere minutes, we certainly don’t turn up our collective noses at dressed-up popcorn. It’s a little easy to get carried away when you take something that’s already delicious and top it with even more deliciousness, so I tried lightening up a favorite caramel-type popcorn recipe. It came out delicious and decadent and satisfying, but without all the guilt that comes with your typical caramel corn recipe. Because sometimes you want an amazingly tasty snack, without feeling like the button on your jeans is about to pop off and fly across the room and put someone’s eye out (you never know—it could happen).

I started off with (brand new—it just hit stores this month!) Skinny Girl Popcorn in Butter flavor, which I picked up earlier this week at Walmart. They come in mini bags (so bitty and cute!) so you could easily eat a bag by yourself and not feel like you’ve made a terrible mistake after you finish it. It’s definitely a more subtle butter flavor than most microwave popcorns (which is probably the point, since it is also lower calorie than most microwave popcorns! and it’s free of artificial ingredients, so it has a more natural taste), and I thought it was good—especially in a recipe like this, since the flavoring is subtle enough that it doesn’t compete with the toppings you’ll add. If I’m just eating handfuls straight from the bag? I’d prefer something a little more buttery and salty than this. But if you’re adding toppings of your own? This is perfect. It also comes in a Lime and Salt flavor that sounds very intriguing (I haven’t tried it yet, but I plan to!).

2 of the mini bags were exactly the right amount for a pan of cinnamon bun popcorn—after popping, I poured them into a big bowl along with some roughly chopped walnuts.

Then melted some butter (a drastically reduced amount, compared with most caramel corn recipes), mixed it with some brown sugar and cinnamon, and poured it over my popcorn. Look at that delicious waterfall of bliss. LOOK!

Give it a good mix, and spread it out onto a large baking sheet to bake for a bit. It gets so crispy and fragrant in the oven—I can’t help but sneak a few bites every time it needs to be stirred, and it makes the house smell so dang good.

Toss a few white chocolate chips on top during the last few minutes in the oven (I’ve never mastered the art of the pretty chocolate drizzle, so I take the lazy approach), then let it all cool before digging in. Such a tasty treat, and it’s way lighter than most caramel corn recipes!

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the popcorn (be careful not to let any unpopped kernels fall into the bowl!) and walnuts.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Pour over the popcorn and gently stir until the popcorn is evenly coated. Spread over a large baking sheet lined with foil or a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until it’s as crunchy as you like it! In the last 1-2 minutes of baking, sprinkle with white chocolate chips. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then break up and store in an airtight container.